Put Stock Exhaust back on

[etherdude]

Since new in Oct. 2015, my 2015 FR-S MT has had the TRD intake and catback exhaust system. I kept the OEM parts taken off by the dealer and have happily run the car for the last 34 months putting 35,000 miles on it as a daily driver.

I love the sound of the car and it runs very well, having gotten stronger with time. The TRD exhaust is deep and throaty with no rasp, sounding somewhat like a 50's vintage British sports car. However, it is pretty noisy at highway speed. The combination of the TRD exhaust note and the crappy Bridgestone Tauranza stock tires that made lots of road noise was beginning to get me down.

I decided to address both issues to make the FR-S a more comfortable highway cruiser. First, I replaced the Bridgestones with Michelin PSS in stock size. Handling is fantastic and road noise is less!. I then acquired all new gaskets and fasteners and got my son to help me swap back to the stock exhaust (with just 10 miles on it!). Finally, since I have the TRD intake, the sound tube is disconnected and blocked under the hood and at the passenger footwell.

What a change! This car is actually relatively quiet! I can hear the Boston area classical music station at a volume setting of 25 instead of having to crank it up to 35. My wife will ride with me!

We disconnected the battery to do an ECU reset and the car is probably still in learn mode, though starting to run noticeably smoother. It is so quiet that I am having to relearn the throttle/clutch coordination in 1st gear.

I plan to hold on to my TRD exhaust for use on a 2017 or 2018 Toyota 86 MT (replacement for my FR-S in 15-18 months). Mine is in fantastic condition and the only parts I need to get for reinstallation are the spring bolts for connecting to the mid-pipe.